Company: Mayfield Dairy Farms
Agency: Waterhouse PR
Timeframe: 2006
Each year, Mayfield Dairy Farms introduces new limited-edition ice cream flavors as part of its Feature Flavor Program. This tradition has yielded some of the company's
most popular ice creams, and approximately 35% of previously released flavors have been popular enough to earn a permanent spot in the Mayfield freezer. As of 2006, seven of the
top 20 Mayfield Ice Cream flavors were previously introduced as Feature Flavors.
In 2006, Mayfield introduced Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Extreme Moose Tracks, Blueberry Cream Pie and Triple Brownie as its new tastes of the year. Believing that all four
flavors would prove popular, the dairy's Chattanooga, Tennessee-based PR agency, Waterhouse Public Relations, designed a campaign to generate the highest level of consumer
involvement and excitement in the history of the Feature Flavor Program.
Together with Mayfield and its advertising agency, Waterhouse PR created Flavor Decision '06, which gave ice cream lovers a personal stake in the Mayfield brand, generated
excitement about the new flavors and boosted sales. The politically-themed election allowed consumers to democratically choose which of the new Feature Flavors would become
permanent freezer installments.
The multi-phase, integrated marketing campaign, which ran March through August, was designed to give consumers a voice, make product sampling an event and ultimately drive
traffic to the Mayfield freezer.
The campaign began with individual news releases announcing each new flavor prior to the launch of Flavor Decision '06. The releases, targeted at food, consumer and business
editors, aimed to pique interest in the new flavors, and they were timed to coincide with national "holidays," including National Peanut Butter Lover's Day, American Chocolate
Week and National Blueberry Pie Day.
To officially kick off Flavor Decision '06, Mayfield spokespersons took to the campaign trail for an intensive publicity tour that spanned nine cities. In two weeks, Mayfield
introduced the flavor "candidates" to print, TV and radio newsrooms, directly involving the media with the election and candidate endorsement process.
Election-themed product samplings took place in grocery stores across the Southeast. Locations were decked out in red, white and blue campaign materials, and consumers were
invited to sample the new flavors for free and vote for their favorite.
Taking advantage of the political election year, Flavor Decision '06 samplings were scheduled at key election sites on local and state voting days. Voters were delighted to
cast a ballot for their favorite ice cream flavor as well as their political candidates.
Mayfield Election Rallies also gave consumers a chance to get a taste of each candidate's platform. During July, rallies were held in 11 cities, giving Mayfield an opportunity
to reach tens of thousands of consumers. A local dignitary kicked-off each by proclaiming it Mayfield Ice Cream Day, and local election commissioners officially opened the polls
for voting. Flavor enthusiasts campaigned for their favorite flavor, adding true election spirit to the events.
No election is complete without a little fundraising, and Mayfield's Campaigning for Kids sought to raise money for kids in the communities in which it serves. On a select day
in each market, $1 was donated to a charity for each person who tasted and voted for their favorite flavor at grocery store samplings. These events raised more than $10,000 and
generated goodwill with consumers and Mayfield retailers.
Consumers who were unable to attend sampling events, were still able to cast
their vote by calling 1-866-789-VOTE or by visiting the Flavor Decision '06
Web site at http://www.MayfieldVote.com.
By visiting the Web site, parents could also register their child for the Kid Campaigner Competition. This competition encouraged kids to lobby for their favorite flavor,
while learning about the political process and the importance of voting.
To keep Flavor Decision '06 top of mind, Waterhouse PR continuously issued news releases that created an opportunity for media banter. Light-hearted campaign support releases
were issued, giving media and consumers a look at each candidate's background, platform and plans if elected. Releases were also issued promoting the flavor endorsement of
Contemporary Christian music artist, Josh Bates, and country music group, Little Big Town. The repetition of these news releases succeeded in increasing the momentum of the
campaign until final election day.
In just five months, Flavor Decision '06 reached nearly 400,000 consumers through retail and event samplings alone. In total, the campaign generated more than eight million
unique media impressions and an advertising equivalency of $165,500 in news media coverage. Nearly 200 print and television stories covered Flavor Decision '06 events, and
Internet and independent bloggers reached millions of consumers through online communication.
After compiling half a million votes, Blueberry Cream Pie was named the winner of Flavor Decision '06. Scottie Mayfield made the announcement to eager consumers via a
satellite media tour, which was broadcast on TV and radio programs throughout Mayfield's key markets.
In addition to giving consumers a stake in the Mayfield brand, the campaign also boosted Mayfield's ice cream sales. In 2006, Feature Flavor sales increased by 26% and
accounted for 12% of the total Mayfield Select Ice Cream sales.
Due to this unprecedented demand for Feature Flavors, the company's package suppliers and grocery store merchandisers were challenged to keep product on the shelves, thus
minimizing the true sales potential.
CONTACT:
This article was written for the 2007 PR News 100 Best Case Studies guidebook by Nathalie Strickland, vice president of Waterhouse Public Relations. To view the
collection of PR News Guidebooks and to order, please visit prnewsonline.com.
Integrated Marketing Campaign Best Practices
You may be thinking: How tough is it to market an event based on ice cream? Admittedly, it's a sweet spot for any confection connoisseur, but there are important strategies to
implement when approaching any integrated marketing campaign.
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Know your audience: Integrated campaigns are ideal for initiatives with broad audiences, as each target can be reached in a highly customized way. That said, if
the proper channel is misjudged, the message could fly right over the intended recipient's head. Mayfield's campaign was careful to consider this: It included a Web site
through which parents could register their child for the children's section of the competition; it partnered with two music groups that appealed to local audiences; and it
incorporated philanthropy by donating money to a charity.
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Use seasonal occasions to your advantage: Having a strong campaign is key in getting strong media coverage, but aligning the event/initiative with a larger-scale
theme helps boost interest. Mayfield strengthened its message by playing up the flavor election's congruence with the national elections that were taking place during the same
timeframe.
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Make your audience feel involved: A cornerstone of the Flavor Decision campaign's success was the audience involvement. By casting a wide net and making each
participant feel like he/she had a stake in the campaign's outcome, the PR team managed to garner far more support, coverage and participation that it would have otherwise.